Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have yet to make any mention of who could replace the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire director. Boyle and his Trainspotting collaborator John Hodge were also working on a screenplay for the movie, which will presumably now be scrapped in favor of a different script.

The follow-up to 2015’s Spectre is due to start shooting in December for an October 2019 release, so the producers will have to act quickly or reluctantly make the decision to push Bond 25 back.

On Twitter, many fans have expressed their disappointment at the departure of Boyle, who had been expected to approach the long-running spy franchise with a fresh perspective.

Genuinely gutted re Danny Boyle exiting Bond. There is some irony in 'creative differences' being cited as the reason – I was looking forward to something more creative and different. pic.twitter.com/s1dKGYDCh9

I'm pretty bummed Danny Boyle isn't directing #Bond25. I feared his style wouldn't mesh with Bond, but I hoped a Boyle-directed Bond movie would be fresh. I hope Daniel Craig doesn't walk. He deserves to leave with a bang. Question is: Will they find a replacement in time?

According to U.K. bookmakers, Batman film-maker Christopher Nolan and Sam Mendes — who directed the last two Bond movies, Skyfall and Spectre — are hot favorites to replace Boyle in the director’s chair.Baby Driver‘s Edgar Wright is also thought to be in the running.